As figures show, a staggering 86,000 young people have been homeless at some point in 2018, with no idea where their next meal or safe place to sleep will come from. RICS have produced a unique paper that pulls together answers from every quarter to bring an end to this stain on our society.

he title of the recent housing white paper suggested a new urgency to government policy. It’s not hard to see why that’s needed. Homelessness is rising fast and a whole generation finds itself priced out, yet unable to get one of a dwindling number of social homes. The sudden return to a world where working families must rent privately at eye-watering rents is crippling finances, productivity and economic growth alike. Levels of home ownership have been falling sharply since 2003, to only 51% of households today. The dream of a property-owning democracy, that cornerstone of conservative ideology, is almost dead. No wonder the government is anxious.

The ending of an assured shorthold tenancy with a private landlord was the most common reason for homelessness in the first quarter of this year.
Official figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government says that the ending of a private tenancy was responsible for 31% of all households accepted as homeless in England between January and March.
The figure equated to 4,650 households.
The statistic rose to 41% in London, representing 2,040 homeless households.